Pi Day and a Recipe!

Today is Pi Day. Yes, I spelled that right. This month for my kid's column in Two-Lane Livin' I wrote about how you could enjoy celebrating Pi Day. For some of you who are mathematically challenged, like me, read on.

Enjoying Pi Day 

     Q. What do you call a number that cannot keep still? A.  A roamin’ numeral.

     March is here and spring is peeking around the corner. By the time you read this, we will know if it came in like a lion or a lamb. I am hoping it came in like a lion.

     March 14 is Pi Day. It is a day to celebrate Pi, which is to make a long number short, 3.14. If you did not want to make it short, the number goes on forever. I found a web page on the computer that had one million digits of Pi listed.

     The diameter of a circle is the distance from edge to edge, measuring straight through the center. The circumference of a circle is the distance around it.

     Pi is the number you get if you divide the circumference of any circle by its diameter. The answer is always the same; no matter how big or small the circle.

     Another fun fact is if you multiply the diameter of a circle by 3.14, you will get its circumference. You can also determine the diameter of a shape, such as a tree, by measuring the circumference and dividing by 3.14.

          Some fun things to do on Pi Day would be to measure the circumference of many circular things, such as CDs, plates, Frisbees, pizzas, pies, cakes, pancakes, etc., and then measure their diameter. When you divide the circumference by the diameter, you will get the same answer every time, which would be 3.14 or Pi.

     Some other fun things to do on Pi Day are to hold memorization contests to see who can memorize the most digits of Pi. If you would rather write, you could hold a pi-writing contest. Set a three-minute timer and see how many words you can write that start with the letters pi. I tried it and I only came up with thirty. I bet you can beat me. Ready. Set. Go!

     Write 3.14 on a piece of paper and hold it up to a mirror. What does the reflection spell?

     Check with your local library and see if they have the following children’s books about math: Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone and Sir Cumference and the Viking’s Map, to name a few.

     But one of my favorite and delicious ideas to celebrate Pi Day is to eat pie. You can eat fruit pies, nut pies, pizza pies or potpies.

     Here is a favorite pie recipe of mine. Be sure and measure its circumference and diameter before you eat it. I bet I know what your answer will be.

HICKORY NUT PIE

½ cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup hickory nuts

Mix ingredients and pour into piecrust.

Bake approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Hope you enjoyed finding out all about Pi. And if you have some hickory nuts, try the recipe. If you don't have any, you could substitute pecans for the hickory nuts.

 And...drum roll please. If you notice on my sidebar, my MG book, Duck and Cover is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Click on over and read about it. If you like to read middle grade books (I do) or know a child in your family who you think would enjoy reading it, feel free to order one. I think you will enjoy reading about Teddy and his friends.

Appalachian Food

There is going to be a Potluck & Appalachian Food Program at our library tonight.

You bring your appetite and a dish to share. You can also share an old family recipe and/or family cooking tradition.

I thought and thought about what to bring. I was told I was thinking too much about what to bring.

So, after contemplating on whether to bring an old fashioned stack cake or a blackberry cobbler or  cornbread and corn cob jelly or a hickory nut pie ------I came up with another idea ------ a delicious idea!

Fried apples and biscuits.
 

Go here for a post I did about them a few years ago.

This was one of my mom's favorite dishes. When her sister knew she was coming up for Sunday dinner, Aunt Irma made sure she had fried apples on the table. I have many memories of Mom sitting at our kitchen table with a paring knife in her hand peeling and slicing the apples into a bowl. The kids would come up to her and she'd hand them a slice to eat.

What comes to your mind, when you think of Appalachian cooking/food?

I remember . . .

Pinto beans, fried potatoes and cornbread (this was a meal we had on a regular basis. Enough beans were cooked to last several days)

Applesauce stack cake (my grandmother seemed to always have one sitting on her kitchen table)

Buttermilk biscuits
Blackberry cobblers (Grandma had berry vines on her land and every summer we trekked up the hill to pick them)

Squirrel and gravy (A favorite during squirrel season)

Fried bread
Home made apple butter (I love a spoonful with my pinto beans or to put on top a sausage patty)

Black walnuts, hickory nuts (These nuts are great in fudge, brownies, pies and cakes)

Paw Paws (The West Virginia banana. You either love them or hate them)

I have a lot of recipes listed on my side bar. If you have the time, click on them and take a look ---- and maybe try one or two of them.

I have put together two family cookbooks and took them to our family reunions.

I am also in the process of putting together another cookbook titled, Cooking in the Blackberry Patch. I am filling it with pics, stories, poems and . . . recipes.

I will let you know when I get it published. I think you will like it.

 What food did you grow up with - no matter which area of America you lived.

Do you have any recipes or favorite food history story you would like to share? I would love to hear them.

Corn Cob Jelly

Like my mom and my grandma before me, I am a jelly maker!

I've made blackberry jelly and jam, grape jelly, strawberry jam, apple pie jam, pear preserves, etc.

Now I can add corn cob jelly to my list of jellies I have made!

I had heard of it, but never made it before.
My cousins made a batch and I tasted it. Yummy! So, I thought I would give it a try.

We went to an Ohio farm yesterday and bought a huge bag of corn to freeze. After spending all afternoon putting corn in the freezer, I held back a dozen ears of the cobs to make jelly.

If you google it on your computer, you will come up with a variety of recipes to use.
This is how I did it.

CORN COB JELLY
(my version)

12 corn cobs (after you have scraped off the corn with a knife)
1 T. lemon juice
1 pkg of Sure-Jel
sugar
water

Put the cobs in a large pot. (I broke mine into two pieces) and cover them with water. I found that it took almost two quarts to cover the cobs. Bring to a boil and boil with the lid off for 30 minutes.

After  30 minutes, take out the cobs and pour the cooking water through a cheesecloth to strain.

I was wanting 3 or 3 1/2 cups of water. I only had to take out a large tablespoon or two of water to have the 3 1/2 cups of liquid I wanted.

Put your strained liquid into a large pot, add about a teaspoon of butter, 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, and the Sure-Jel contents. Stir and bring to a boil.

Add 3 1/2 cups of sugar, stir and bring to a boil again. Boil for 2 minutes (while stirring). Take your pot from the heat, skim off any foam and ladle into sterilized jars. Wipe jar rims and threads. (I use a damp paper towel) Screw on your new canning lids and rings and flip the jars upside down for 5 minutes. Then turn upright. Now let them sit undisturbed until you hear a loud ping, indicating they have sealed.

                                                        Five jelly jars of liquid gold.

More tidbits of info:

As always follow manufacture instructions on the canning lids and jars!
I sterilized my jars and put my rings into boiling water to sterilize them.
I dropped my flat lids into boiling water, then immediately took them off the heat and let them stay in the hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes.

As I have always done for many years, I inverted my jars of jelly for 5 minutes, then turned them right-side up. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, then please, by all means, put them in a boiling water bath. I think for small jars of jelly they tell you to process for 10 minutes. (Instructions are on the Sure-Jel package insert.)

When I put my jelly into the jars, I thought it seemed awful watery for lack of better words. I was afraid it wasn't going to gel. But, they sealed quickly - and this morning they were gelled!

If you use different amounts of liquid as some recipes found on the internet call for, always use the same amount of sugar as liquid. For example, if you use 3 cups of strained liquid - add 3 cups of sugar. I had almost 3 1/2 cups of liquid after boiling my cobs, so I used 3 1/2 cups. I am glad I did. The 3 1/2 cup mixture made exactly 5 jars of jelly!

I haven't tasted my batch, yet. But, after filling the jars, I did scrape the pot with a spoon and tasted it.  It was good. It is a little hard to describe the taste. Some say it tastes like honey.
Well - I am sure most of  you have heard of corn whiskey - this is corn honey!

I hope you give it a try, I think you will enjoy it.

Okay, I couldn't wait. I opened a jar and spread some on toast.
It turned out perfect. It has a mild taste and gelled perfectly.




 

Yummy Blueberry Treat!

My blueberries are ripe!

My freezer is getting full of these delicious, good for you, berries.

Here is a very easy treat to make with them.

Gather blueberries, a mini muffin pan and liners, and chocolate chips.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.

Dab a little of the melted chocolate in the bottom of the liners - 

add three blueberries - 

add more melted chocolate on top -

let chocolate harden

EASY PEASY !

The finished product:

Yummy!

print recipe

These are so good! I could eat them all!

I have lots of blueberries, but, you can experiment

and use different types of berries - and different types of chips (semi-sweet or dark).

Try them, you're love them!

Peanut Butter Pie

I love peanut butter . . . and I love peanut butter pie.

But most recipes are a little complicated and fattening.

This one is very good - and easy to make!

I also think it is less fattening than some of the other recipes I've seen.

Ingredients:

one 8oz carton Cool Whip (thawed)- minus 1 cup
1 graham  cracker crust
1/2 cup jelly of your choice
1 cup cold milk (I use skim milk)
1 3oz package of instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup peanut butter

Spread jelly onto the bottom of the crust.
In a bowl, mix with a mixer the milk and pudding mix for one minute. 
Add peanut butter and mix well.
Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over jelly.

Cover and freeze for four hours or until firm. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.


If you like peanut butter, you will love this pie. It is very good. I sprinkled chocolate chips on top of my slice or you could squirt Hershey's chocolate syrup on top if you want - or you could put a spoonful of the leftover Cool Whip on your slice.

(Personally, I like chocolate with my peanut butter)

I hope you like it. It got a thumbs up from everyone at my house tonight!

Janet Smart     Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Pumpkin Roll

For some reason, I got in the mood for a pumpkin roll today and it is not even November yet.

My cousin, Vera, has a great pumpkin roll recipe that has been around for a long time. It is in our family cookbook that I put together in 1996. I have since put together another family cookbook.
I am bragging here, but I have a family of great cooks!

PUMPKIN ROLL


INGREDIENTS for cake:
3 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t.  salt
chopped nuts (whatever amount you wish to use - just a handful, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup)

INGREDIENTS for filling:
Cream together: 8 oz cream cheese, 1 t. vanilla, 2 T. butter and 1 cup powdered sugar.

DIRECTIONS for cake:
Preheat oven to 375
Grease a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 jelly roll pan
Line with wax paper
Grease wax paper
Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar

Beat eggs, add sugar and gradually blend in pumpkin. Add salt, soda,  cinnamon and flour. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with chopped nuts of your choice. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn onto thin, cotton kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel off wax paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool. Carefully unroll and spread with filling. Re-roll cake and wrap in plastic wrap.

Keep  refrigerated -  Freezes very well.

Doesn't look like any of those small, nice and neat pumpkin rolls 

you buy already packaged up in the store, does it?

Believe me when I say it is delicious. 

I ate two pieces before I stopped.

 I am in the process of putting together another cookbook. It is filled with recipes,stories and memories.


I have many food memories, good and bad!
Do you have any food memories you would like to share with us?

  Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch

Writing Wednesday and a Yummy Recipe

We had a writer's meeting today at the library.
I came home,
worked on revising my children's story, 'The Snowman Village,'
and made snowballs!

They are so good! They are the perfect light snack to eat while you sip on coffee, tea or milk. 

The perfect cookie to make after writing about a snowman village.

SNOWBALLS

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in nuts.
Shape dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and bottoms are lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes and then dust with confectioners' sugar. Makes 3 dozen.

Delicious eaten when warm. I just love these. I bet you can't eat just one.

I know my post wasn't too much about writing today, but that's okay.

I have been editing some of my stories this week and I just finished my column for the January issue of Two-Lane Livin' and I have came up with 28 ideas so far this month for picture books!


Happy Writing!

Thanksgiving Recipes

I thought I'd re-post a few of my recipes for Thanksgiving.

Have you checked out the price of pecans lately?  If so, and you don't want to shell out the money for them, check out this recipe for Poor Man's Pecan Pie. Instructions can be found here on my site.

And what would Thanksgiving be without a sweet potato casserole. This is absolutely the best one I have ever tasted.


SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

4 LBS sweet potatoes

Cook sweet potatoes. Drain and mash with mixer and add the following ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together and put in baking dish.

Mix the following ingredients for topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Spoon topping on and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Another good recipe is Pecan Pie Muffins. They are delicious!
You bake these in the mini muffin pans.

Pecan Pie Muffins

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Pour into a greased mini-muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Go here to check out the step by step pictures. While you are there check out my recipe for Nuts and Bolts. They are good to enjoy while waiting on the turkey to get ready.

Cheese Balls are also good to munch on while waiting for the turkey.


FESTIVE CHEESE BALL

2 - 8oz packages cream cheese
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 t. Worcestershire Sauce
1 t. lemon juice
finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine the cream cheese and the cheddar cheese. Add the Worcestershire Sauce and lemon juice. Mix well with fork.  Shape into a ball, then roll in finely chopped nuts of your choice. In the one below,  I shaped it like a pumpkin and added pretzel sticks and pepper slices for decoration.

Well, are you hungry yet?